After the last cat taming incident, Butler Robert called Xu Yinsheng in for a talk and brought her two contracts to choose from.
The first one was to continue being a maid, and when the contract period ended, her salary would be tripled, along with a seaside villa as a gift.
Hearing this, Xu Yinsheng didn’t hesitate at all.
She picked up the pen and swiftly signed her name on the second contract.
What triple salary?
What seaside villa?
Those were just distant clouds.
Right now, she just wanted to take the compensation and walk away.
But things didn’t develop the way she expected.
Seeing how decisively she signed the second contract without even glancing at the first, Butler Robert stood up, grasped Xu Yinsheng’s hand, tears streaming down his face, bowing repeatedly in thanks.
He kept saying, “Thank you, Miss Xu Yinsheng,” “I’m entrusting the Viscount to you,” “Thank you so much,” “You are truly a good person.”
Xu Yinsheng was completely baffled by the sixty-something-year-old butler’s repeated gratitude, having no idea what was going on.
***
After a long moment, Xu Yinsheng finally opened the contract and realized just how much trouble she had gotten herself into.
Second contract: Maintain the identity of a private maid while simultaneously working as the Viscount’s personal psychological counselor, with salary stacking and overtime pay.
Damn! Always read the labor contract before signing it!
Three days had passed since the last cat taming incident.
During these three days, Xu Yinsheng hadn’t seen Viscount Weili, which eased the tension that had been constantly stretched tight in her mind.
But those days were still “hell on earth” for Xu Yinsheng.
On this day, after nearly going mad from being tortured by maid etiquette lessons, Xu Yinsheng decided to skip class.
Their kind of maids were not only decorative vases for appearances but were also expected to master maid etiquette to serve their masters properly.
Carrying trays, pouring tea, walking catwalk-style, tidying up — all these theoretical lessons made Xu Yinsheng feel like she had gone back to her senior year of high school.
But none of that was what crushed her the most.
What really broke her was…
Walking pigeon-toed!!
Just thinking about it made Xu Yinsheng grind her teeth harder and solidified her resolve to skip class.
Damn the heavens!
She was a nearly thirty-year-old man — or at least she used to be — who had been walking pigeon-toed outwardly for almost thirty years.
Now she had to switch to walking pigeon-toed inwardly.
This was more unbearable than being whipped!
Qin Yumo and the others were already practicing how to expertly carry trays in high heels, while Xu Yinsheng didn’t even know how to walk inward pigeon-toed.
Every time she practiced, Mary the head maid would shoot her disapproving looks, as if she was looking at a fool.
Skipping class, Xu Yinsheng quietly tiptoed into the pastry room, planning to eat some pastries first to soothe her young and fragile soul.
The pastry room was empty, the baking oven long since extinguished, and all baking tools cleaned up.
Inside the warming cabinet, neatly packed food boxes were stacked in layers in the corner, with all kinds of pastries inside.
The aroma wafted out, making one’s mouth water.
As soon as she entered, a familiar fragrance hit her, awakening the cravings in her stomach.
On the left side of the entrance was a small round plate piled high with little fish cakes, steaming hot as if just taken out of the oven.
Looking at them made her mouth water, and she swallowed hard.
Xu Yinsheng unapologetically grabbed a few and popped them into her mouth.
The crust was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was soft and chewy like tender meat, with a rich fish aroma.
She ate about ten pieces in a row but still wasn’t satisfied.
The taste and texture of the little fish cakes gave her a strange sense of familiarity.
Squinting her eyes, she felt a wave of comfort — she must have eaten these before, but she just couldn’t recall exactly when.
“Meow!”
A blue-and-white figure suddenly dashed past Xu Yinsheng, leaving only a blur behind.
She focused her gaze and saw a cat with a mix of pale blue and gray-white fur looking at her unfriendly.
It guarded the remaining small pile of fish cakes behind it, glaring at her warily.
It was an incredibly cute cat — big round eyes, large ears, a fluffy tail — exuding adorableness from head to tail.
“Meow meow meow!!!”
The little creature bared its teeth and snarled at Xu Yinsheng, especially eyeing the small fish cakes in her palm with a fierce look, as if ready to pounce.
But its demeanor made it hard to feel threatened.
Xu Yinsheng just glanced at it and then looked away.
She smiled and tossed the half piece of beef jerky she’d saved from lunch to the cat.
“Little guy, don’t be angry. Good things are meant to be shared. Here, try some beef jerky.”
The little guy sniffed the jerky cautiously after scanning Xu Yinsheng with its shiny black eyes.
After confirming there was no poison, it stretched out a paw and took a small bite, then bit a second time.
Soon, it was sure Xu Yinsheng meant no harm.
It gnawed on the jerky while wagging its tail to show goodwill.
Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help but laugh.
Such a smart cat, kind of like the Garfield back home.
“Yan Qing, Yan Qing.”
“Meow~”
At the call, the little cat immediately jumped up and ran off in a certain direction, ignoring the remaining fish cakes.
Xu Yinsheng followed its direction and saw a man in white clothes playing with the cat in his arms, a faint smile on his lips.
“Yan Qing, how did you get here again?”
After rubbing against the man’s wrist a few times, the plump little body pressed against his chest, its little paws clutching at his shirt, then it stuck out its pink tongue to lick his finger, looking for affection.
“Meow~”
The man in white smiled wider.
He looked up at the maid who had dared to sneak into the kitchen to steal food.
In the next moment, the faintest hint of stiffness flickered across his face but was well concealed.
Xu Yinsheng was the first to speak, “Are you the chef?”
The man’s mouth twitched but he maintained his smile.
“Yes, I’m the chef.”
“Just an ordinary chef who can cook some home-style dishes, like scallion beef.”
He looked Xu Yinsheng over and frowned slightly.
“You’re a maid under Head Maid Mary. What are you doing here? Don’t you know this is the kitchen’s restricted area? Outsiders aren’t allowed.”
“Mary sent me here to carry pastries. Everyone else has been practicing for so long, so I naturally needed a break.” Xu Yinsheng shrugged and spoke confidently.
Hearing this, the man’s expression softened a bit.
He held Yan Qing and took out a set of keys.
“Do you want that plate?”
Xu Yinsheng thought for a moment and pointed to the nearly empty plate of fish cakes on the left.
“No more fish cakes.”
“Gone.”
The man looked embarrassed but decided not to tell her that those weren’t fish cakes at all, but freshly baked cat food.
“How about the small cakes?”
“What flavor?”
“Watermelon.”
“No.”
“Durian then?”
“Also no. Keep it normal. The kitchen isn’t a lawless place.”
In the end, Xu Yinsheng happily carried several strawberry cupcakes away.
After her figure disappeared completely, the man in white rubbed the cat in his arms and flicked Yan Qing’s forehead with his finger, scolding softly.
“Little guy, don’t run around like that anymore. Do you know how close I was to being caught?”
“If you keep running around, do you believe I’ll lock you in a cat cage?”
“Meow~”
Yan Qing let out a pitiful meow, winding its tail around the man’s wrist.
When Xu Yinsheng returned to the maid’s quarters carrying strawberry cupcakes after skipping class, she was naturally scolded by Head Maid Mary.
Xu Yinsheng obediently accepted the criticism but refused to change her ways.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.